The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1887-08-27
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
MRS. JOHN y. ARMSTRONG.

Hare hermit us TO drop, for q time, this
.t,teh Of our worthy relative, to Introduce
his wife. most excellent woman, possessing
uncommon strength Of mind, energy anu
nerseyerauce, and noted above her sex Tor
her business tact and natural farce OF char'
.c,er. united with all the kiadly emotions OF
4 generous aud afiec,ionate wife ana mother
Her sympalhies, always for heneSoIence'
have prompted her to = lifetime OF chari'a
be and neighborly good deeds. Her maiden
name was Margaret Trumbo. Her ia her
vas Ambrose Trumbo, whose homestead,
southwest of Narseilles, has been . pioneers
landmark in LaSalle county for over half "A
sentury. lie Was born IN Rappabannock Co..
Virginia, and his wife, Esther Dyer, was u
native of the same region. They moved to
Licking county, OHIO, nj an early day, where
Margaret, the subject Of this sketch, was born
In 1914. Their children were, in the order
named Jane, Margaret, Ambrose, Rebecca
and jackson, OF the entire family, father
and mother and children, Mrs. j. 5. Arm
strong NIarqarerl in Missouri, ana Ambrose
On tic old Homestead, ale he only ones Inv.
ing MIR rumoo anu family abandoned the
woods o. Ohio and came west. arriving In
this State March 80, 1880 first locating for
q short time at Springfield. Hearing most
catering accounts of the country at the
mouth of Fox river, he procured horse ana
visited this region. He expected 10 Locale
an what was afterwards the VIM. Dunsvan
farm, hut by some Of the tricks peculiar TO
land sharks in the early times. some one else
got in ahead. He looked about further and
selected 700 acres. incluIing the whole Of
the present village Of Dayton, which he sub
sequen,y transferred to John Gre n. Like
all Of the first settlers, he esteemed the
prairie regions Of no account, except to keep
the timbered lands apart, or perhaps svaila
bic for grazing or growing wild hay 50
his entries we're nearly sill Of woods, bills
and holoys But in those days pine lumber
and cedar posts, Usage orange hedges anu
barb wire AMI coal beds being unknown, at
least in this region, the native timber was
Of considerable value as il and 1t only sup
piled innumerable and Indispensable wants
Dir. Trumbo soon began to appreciate the
superiority of prairie soil and invested
LARGELY in IT. south Of the Illinois river and
elsewhere, taking care, however, that it WAS
always adjacent to and included some por-
lions Of timber.
STARTING HIS HOMESTEAD.
Among other lands which had attracted
his fancy when on his first visit here in 1880,
were the tracts south and west OF and near
Narseilles, south Of the Illinois river, which
have since constituted the old "Trumbo
farm" He had placed upon II " claim
cabin" I. e., q pen, Ave logs high, q clap
board root, and natures beautiful, not " in
grain" but in grass carpet and vacant
space on one side out Of which the smoke
was supposed to 60, II it liked, until chin
ney could be built to draw it in that direc-
ton. Mr.. Trumbo's family. by reason of his
being better fixed than most of his neigh.
bors, had been accustomed to all the conven-
fences and comforts and even the luxurieI Of
back woods life In Ohio, when they arrived
NJ the site Of their future home and SAW the
exceedingly scant and dreadfully rustic &C
sommodations offered by this log pen, were
not only as,onshed but dumbfounded. They
did not see how they could survive week in
such place, and Mrs. Trumbo and the girl.
especially were heart broken and wanted to
"go home" But Mr.. Trumbo, who foresaw
with prophets eye, through q few years Of
toll and prlvation, wealth aud luxury in
abundance, WAS 6rm in his purpose, and
finally to hush their entreaties by the wsrd
Of authority, threatened to load the rebel
lious and disconnected into the wagons and
dump them out in the wilds Of Missouri,
then land supposed to DO in the center Of
nowhere The feminine fear of bears, pan
theirs, Indians and hideous snakes, overcame
the disconieatment. and oil yielded with
alscrity and accepted the situation. They
set to work raising and improving their
cabin, putting up q stable, breaking sod for
. garden. and Mr.. Trumbo, to his delight,
found the " women folks" the best and most
cheerful Of his help. They moved into 1t as
IL was, and he out more logs and hewed
them, made punoheons for q floor, and the
girls and he raised 1t higher and " chucked"
and plastered the cracks with as clean msd
- the country afforded. Then, assisted by
Mr.. John Green, he built . stick and stone
chimney, and saving out . log on one side
they made neat and ornate window, with
oiled paper for glass. Then the girls and
their mother set to work bravely in orns-
nenting and identifying the interior with
the thousand pretty devices which are be.
yond the possibilities Of the masculine mind
and soon transformed the hated and wretched
log pen into not only comfortable, but g
luxurious DWELLING perfec. gem Of log
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